Turbine.



E. A. McKEAN.

TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10. 1911.

' 1,289,214. Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Emroe A. M Kean Q7/5747 TU V595:

EMBOE A. MGKEAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 MGKEAN TURBINE COMPANY,

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A

TURBINE,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Eamon A. McKnAN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Turbines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, l ke characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to turbines and has for one of its objects to provide a turbine with an improved bucket which is so constructed that steam or other motive fluid which is delivered into the mouth of the bucket will act progressively on the walls of the bucket from the inlet opening to the exhaust with a forwardly-impelling force, so that at substantially all points in each bucket the motive fluid is acting topropel the turbine forwardly.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved form of bucket which is provided with a motive fluid passage having a progressively-increasing'width from the inlet to the exhaust so that when steam is used as the motive fluid, it is allowed to expand as it passes through the passage in each bucket.

Another object of the invention is to provide a turbine with an improved throttling nozzle by which the volume of the steam delivered can be varied without varying the pressure. p 1

Other objects of my invention are to improve generally steam turbines, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

In order to give an understanding of the invention, I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims. t

Figure 1 is a side view of a turbine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3, F1 1;

Fig. & is a perspective View of one of the motive fluid nozzles;

Fig. 5 is a view showing any throttling nozzle in cross section.

The buckets of the turbine are indicated generally at 2 and they are suitably sustained between two side plates 1 which are improved fast on the shaft 20. These buckets may be retained in position between the plates 1 in any suitable way. I have herein shown each bucket as provided on each side with two pins 21which enter apertures 22 formed in the side plates 1. Any other suitable way of holding the buckets in position may be employed, however. Each bucket is provided with a motive fluid passage which is shaped to present a central inlet passage having inclined wall sections against which the motive fluid impinges with a forwardlyimpelling force, and two return passages communicating with the inner end of the inlet passage. Where the motive fluid which is used is steam or gas capable of expansion, I will preferably make the motive fluid passage with a progressively-increasing cross-sectional area from the inlet to the discharge end. The shape of the motive fluid passage in each bucket is best seen from Fig. 2, and, as stated above, it presents the central inlet portion 3 which extends from the front toward the rear of the bucket and is then divided into two side return passages 4: that terminate at the front end of the bucket on either side of the inlet pas- Sage 3. The motive fluid is delivered into the inlet passages from one or more nozzles 5, there being four nozzles illustrated in the drawings. The inlet end of each motive fluid passage is provided with the flaring mouth 6, and this terminates at its inner end in the relatively-narrow passage 7 which extends at an angle to the median line of the bucket thcrebyto provide the inclined wall 8 against which the steam or other motive fluid impinges. The portion 7 of. the passage merges into a portion 9 which is inclined in an opposite direction from'the portion 7 and which presents the inclined wall 10 against which the motive fluid impinges as it leaves the portion 7 This portion 9 in turn merges into a portion 11 which is inclined in the same general direction as the portion 7 and which is provided with the inclined wall 12 against which the motive fluid impinges as it leaves the Portion 9. Similarly, the portion 11 mer es into another inclined portion 13 whic inclines in the opposite direction from the portion 11 and which is provided with the inclined wall 14 against which the steam or other motive fluid impinges when it leaves the portion 11 of the passage. The portion 13 of the passage leads into another inclined portion 15 having the inclined wall 16 against which the steam or other motive fluid impinges. The inlet passage 3 thus has a zig-zag shape and opposite sides thereof present inclined wall sections against which the steam or other motive fluid impinges alternately. Further, the passage 3 has a progressivelyincreasing width from the portion 7 to the portion 15 so as to allow for the expansion of the steam as it traverses said passage. There may be a greater or less number of these inclined passage sections, depending on the size of the bucket. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the steam or motive fluid passage becomes divided at the end of the portion 15 thereof, the twov branches being shown at 4 and constituting return passages. The bucket is shaped to present the dividing edge 17 at the end of the passage section 15, and the curved passages 18 which connect the central inlet passage with the two side return passages 4. The curved portions 18 of the steam passage present the walls 19 against which the steam or other motive fluid is delivered, said walls directing the motive fluid into the return passages 4. The return passages 4 have a gradually-increasing cross-sectional area from the curved portion 18 to the exhaust end 20, thus allowing for the expansion of the steam or other motive fluid. The impact of the steam against the inclined wall sections 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 produces a force tending to propel the bucket and the turbine forwardly, and the impact of the steam against the curved walls 19 adds to this impelling force. As the steam moves toward the exhaust end 20 of the passages 4, it has a further propelling effect upon the walls of said passages since they are slightly inclined. The steam is thus acting to give forward movement to the turbine throughout the entire length of the steam passage in each bucket.

The separate buckets may conveniently be made by forming a groove of the shape shown in Fig. 2 in one face of each bucket,- and when the buckets'are arranged in proper relative position, as shown in Fig. 1, the bottom v of each bucket will constitute the top of the steam passage in the next adjacent bucket.

The nozzles 5 may have the construction shown in Fig. 4 wherein they have an elon 1 V gated outlet delivery aperture 21. This delivers into the flaring mouth 6 athin ribbonvlike stream of motive fluid which impinges against the wall 8 and is deflected thereby against the wall 10, as above described. In

. Fig. 51 have shown a different form of nozzle, the nozzle therein shown being a throttling nozzle. In this embodiment, the nozzle 18 indicated at 50 and 1t has'the steam passage 51 which is relatively narrow, as shown in Fig. 4, and is thus in the form of a slit. The vertical dimension of this stea'm' passage can be varied by means of a swinging gate 52 which is pivoted within the nozzle at 53 and which is acted upon by a cam 54. The cam has a lever or arm 55 connected thereto by which it may be operated. hen the lever 55 is thrown to the right, Fig. 5, the cam 54 will depress the gate 52 and thus shorten the length of the egress slit 56 in the nozzle. Theadvantage of this construction is that the volume. of steam which is delivered may be regulated without, however, reducing the pressure. l/Vhen' nozzles of the type shown in Fig. 5 are used, the horse power developed by the turbine can be increased or din'iinished by simply adjusting the gate 52 one way or the other and without changing the pressure of the steam. When the egress slit of the nozzle is reduced, a less volume of steam will be delivered than when said slit is fully open, but in both instances-the steam will be delivered at the same pressure. v The horse power developed, however, will vary as the volume of steam-varies. Any suitable motive fluid may be used for operating my improved turblue.

I claim:

1. In a turbine, the combinationwith abody, of a plurality of buckets secured thereto, each having a ,central zig-zag inlet passage, and two! discharge passages, one at each side of the central passage and communicating therewith at its inner end.

2. In a turbine, the combination with a body, of a plurality of buckets secured thereto, each having a central zig-zag inlet passage, and two discharge passages, one at each side of the central passage and communicating therewith at its inner end, said inlet passage having a progressively-increasing cross-sectional area from its front to its rear end.

3. In a turbine, the combination with a body, 'of a plurality of buckets sustained thereby, each bucket'presenting a central inlet passage extending from the outer to the inner end of the bucket and provided on each side with inclinedwall sections against which the motive fluid impinges.

4. In a steam turbine, the combination with a body, of a plurality of buckets supported thereby, each having a steam passage shaped to present on opposite walls alternately-arranged oppositely-inclined wall sections against which the motive fluid impinges as it traverses said passage.

5. In a steam turbine, the combination with a body, of a plurality of buckets sustained thereby, each bucket having a steam passage having'a' flaring inlet end and presenting on each side thereof inclined wall sections against which the motive fluid impinges as it traverses said passage, each inclined wall section serving to deflect the motive fluid against a wall section on the opposite side of the passage.

6. In a turbine, the combination with a body, of a plurality of buckets supported thereby, each bucket having a central zigzag inlet passage and at each side thereof an oppositely-extended discharge passage which communicates with the inner end of the inlet passage through a curved passage which presents a curved Wall against which the motive fluid has impact.

7. A turbine comprising a body, a plurality of buckets secured thereto, each having a central zig-zag steam passage of progressively-increasing cross-sectional area from Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,

the entering end thereof, said passage at its smallest point having a greater depth than width, and a nozzle to deliver motive fluid thereinto, said nozzle having a cross-sectional shape approximating that of the inlet passage at its narrowest point.

8. In a turbine, the combination with a body, of a plurality of buckets sustained thereby, each having a central zig-zag inlet passage and two discharge passages at each side of the central passage and communicating therewith at its inner end, and a throttling nozzle for delivering motive fluid to said central passage.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

EMROE A. MOKEAN.

by addressing the commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

